Alternate Lives
by Okori Yo
Summary: Alternate universe means an alternate Doctor right? Find out what happens when Rose's little brother, now age sixteen, runs into him...
1. By Any Other Name

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of the characters from Doctor Who. I merely borrow them. But I do claim rights to Nick. If you wanna use him, ask first.

**Note**: Each chapter will be like an episode, so there will eventually be thirteen chapters written. I might take a while, due to school and such, but it will be done. So please, read, hopefully enjoy, and possibly review.

- - -

By Any Other Name…

"But why can't I join Torchwood?" Nick asked for the third time that morning. His mother, who had been making a pot of tea, stopped and looked at him. After a few seconds, she rolled her eyes and turned back to the stove.

"Because Torchwood policy states that only one member of a family can join the organization, Nick. You should know that…Rose must have told you." Nick frowned. Rose again. It was always, "Rose did this" or "Rose did that". His parents never tired of talking about their star child, Rose Tyler. Having a family member in Torchwood was a big deal in high-society London, and Nick was a bit sick of his older sister getting all the attention. Which was why he wanted to join up.

Sure, he got his fair share of attention, being the baby in the family and all. Besides, Rose had moved out years ago, when he was just a little kid. He knew that both his parents loved him deeply, and tried their best to include him, but a sixteen-year-old was no match for someone who had helped save the world on countless occasions.

Frown deepening, he shovelled another spoonful of cereal into his mouth. He had heard the stories of course. As a young boy, Nick had begged Rose to tell him about her adventures through time and space with someone called "The Doctor". She had told him the stories many times, repeated them so often that he had memorized them. But they were just that, stories. They had happened in another universe, one that was forever locked to him.

Finishing his breakfast, Nick got up and put his dishes on the sideboard for the maid to pick up, then smiled at his mother. "I guess I'll be off then." he said awkwardly, still slightly miffed at the mention of his sister this early in the morning.

"Oh sweetie, do be careful! I know you're only going to a zeppelin parts factory, but they can be dangerous places." Giving her son a loving smile, she added, "Remember that I love you, Nikki." Embarrassed at the pet nickname, Nick gave her a quick peck on the cheek and hurried out of the house.

Once safely outside, the young man paused to enjoy the view. His father, Pete Tyler, was a very wealthy man, having earned it through the sale of various tonics and health drinks back in the '80's. His vast estate reflected that. Aside from the huge mansion, there were several gardens, a heated swimming pool, a tennis court, and a long curving driveway that ended in a courtyard. Trotting down the marble steps, Nick nodded to his driver and slid inside the plush Mustang that he used for personal transportation.

Leaning back against the cool leather seat, he sighed and closed his eyes. Instead of going straight to the private school he attended, like he would normally do, Nick would be joining his classmates at the factory. This way, he would avoid a trip on one of the school's zeppelins. Turning his gaze towards the window, he gazed out at the passing scenery. The mass of greenery hurtling by outside soothed his ruffled nerves, and he smiled to himself. The trip was purely educational, nothing more. It's not like they were leaving the ground or anything. Nope, they were just going to look at some models, perhaps see one of the massive airships being assembled. Nothing more.

- - -

Nick stared at his teacher in disbelief. She had to be kidding. _Had_ to be. They couldn't take a trip on one of the zeppelins! If something ever happened to their precious children, the parents of the students would sue the administration within a matter of minutes. Including his.

"And for those of you who are worried about safety, let me assure you that the engineers here had triple-checked everything to ensure top performance. There will also be trained personnel on hand to assist in an emergency." his teacher continued smoothly, looking quite pleased at the opportunity to ride one of the newest passenger zeppelins on the market. Glancing around a final time, the woman nodded. "Alright, line up please. Proceed directly to your seats, and don't wander off!"

Around him, his classmates chattered excitedly, enthusiastic to be going on an un-planned ride. Sighing, Nick trailed along behind the group, cursing his bad luck. Everything had been going great up until this point. His class had seen several models of ships in development, and had witnessed two sections of the frame being welded together. Then _this_ had come along.

Mounting the ladder, the young man eyed the balloon section warily. Sure, it looked fine, but one little rip could bring the entire thing down. Swallowing nervously, Nick made his way to the last seat available at the rear of the section, and slumped in it, trying to ignore his rolling stomach. This would be the worst field trip of his life…

"Attention please!" Nick looked up gloomily, seeing his teacher standing at the head of the aisle. "As you may have noticed, we are not the only guests on board. So please be courteous, and show them why we are proud to wear the school's emblem!" Other passengers? Eyes darting around, Nick picked out a few men in suits from among the sea of black vests all the students wore. Shrugging, he closed his eyes and let his head fall back onto his chest. If he could just fall asleep, he would make it though this horrible trip.

"Not gonna enjoy the view?" Starting, Nick sighed. He hadn't realized he had a seat-mate.

"Nope." he replied gruffly, hoping the man would go away.

"Aw, come on, it'll be wonderful." the voice persisted, but he just shook his head. Looking out the window right now would be bad. Nick didn't even want to know what would happen if he did it in mid-flight, although several grim possibilities occurred to him.

"Oh, don't be a party-pooper. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance! Not too many people get to ride in a brand-new zeppelin, y'know. You should feel proud." Turning his head away, he snorted.

"So what? I'll have plenty of chances to ride this thing once it's licensed. Besides, my father can get me a ticket on any zeppelin I choose." Nick sneered, squeezing his shut eyes tighter as disturbing thoughts passed through his mind. Of course, he would never do such a thing. His feet were entirely happy planted firmly on the ground, thank you very much. In his opinion, whoever came up with the idea of air travel ought to have been shot.

"Fine, have it your way." his seat-mate grumbled. Finally, some peace. Breathing deeply, Nick settled back in his seat, frowning as the airship started to take off. He let his thoughts drift, blocking out the talk of his peers, focusing on the quiet space in his mind. Yawning, he sighed contentedly and fell into a light doze.

"Hey, wake up." A tap on his shoulder made Nick snort, his sleep-fogged mind trying to sort out what was going on. Had they landed? Sitting up, he looked around, surprised to see that nearly all of the seats in front of him were empty.

"What's going on?" he muttered, annoyed that he had been woken up. He could tell they were still in the air, and Nick did not want to be awake when the zeppelin landed.

"Something's wrong. Your classmates haven't returned from their trip around the ship yet." the person in the seat beside him muttered softly. Slouching back down, he yawned. "So? They might have stopped to see something. Students do that…especially ones with too much money." Nick answered, closing his eyes again.

"No, it's not that. They've been gone for almost an hour."

"But this was only supposed to be a thirty minute trip!" Eyes flying open, the young man quickly sat upright, and turned for the first time to look at the one beside him…and stared.

Nick had assumed that the man beside him was just another suit, here because he had dished out enough cash to take the trip. But no, the man now gazing calmly at him was anything but a businessman. He wore a battered leather coat, partially hiding a dark red jumper. Stunned, his gaze drifted downwards, taking in the dusty black jeans and scuffed brown shoes. Meeting the man's eyes, he was surprised to see that they were a stormy blue-grey colour, and got a sense of oldness from them. Close-cropped brown hair accented his large ears and nose, giving him a slightly comedic look. This was no businessman…this was _the Doctor_. Nick's big sister had described what he had looked like many times, so the young man was able to recognize the man instantly.

"Yep, which is why there's a problem." the Doctor said, glancing around at the remaining passengers. Filled with a mixture of excitement and fear, Nick eyed the Time Lord, wondering exactly why he was on board. If he was here, then it meant trouble wasn't far behind.

"So…are ya going to do anything about it?" he asked, hoping his tone was nonchalant enough to appear bored, not excited. The Doctor switched his gaze back to him and nodded. "Yeah…I'm going to find out what's going on." Standing up, he brushed past Nick and strode up the aisle, obviously intent on his mission. Nick shifted uneasily, torn between going back to sleep and following the Doctor. He didn't like the idea of roaming around a zeppelin, but this was the Doctor. Sure, it was a different Doctor that his sister had traveled with, but still…as the Time Lord himself had said, this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Sighing, Nick stood up and hurried after the man.

- - -

Nick stopped and sighed. So much for quickly locating the Doctor. He had just spent the last fifteen minutes wandering around, but had found nothing except empty rooms. Walking down yet another passageway, the young man froze as he heard a voice drifting out of a room a few feet in front of him.

"Are the humans disposed of?" the female voice asked. A response came, but it was too low for Nick to catch. "Good…the others are in place, and there are only two more of the pesky apes to find. I'll entrust you to deal with them." Realizing that she was talking about him, Nick backed away slowly, hardly daring to breathe. His classmates were dead…that much was certain. Tears blurred his vision and he gasped, trying not to cry. His friends…the bully who had made fun of him…his teacher…the girl whom he didn't like but also liked…all gone.

Turning, Nick swiftly went back the way he had came, blinking back tears. He couldn't cry. He was a man, and men didn't cry. That was a girl's job. Wiping away the lingering evidence with his sleeve, the boy sniffled. He had to find the Doctor and warn him. Not only was his life in danger, but so was the Time Lord's. Besides, now he had a purpose: to try and avenge the ones who had killed his class. And he needed the Doctor to do that.

Nick glanced behind him to ensure that the way was clear, then quietly made his way forwards, glancing into any opening he passed. Reaching a ladder, he hesitated, then climbed down. Although he was hesitant about going to another level, it seemed the Doctor wasn't in the passenger area. Reaching the bottom rung, the man looked around again, seeing that he was now definitely in the crew-only section of the zeppelin. A maze of pipes, wires and cramped crawl-spaces branched off in all directions, and the dim lighting made it impossible to tell which way to go.

Randomly picking the left side, Nick ducked through a low portal and shuffled through a narrow passage, hoping he was getting close to the Time Lord. Stopping as the passage reached a T-intersection, the young man caught the smell of smoke coming from the left. Smoke was bad…if a fire had started, he could quickly become trapped and burn to death. Biting his lip, Nick listened for the sound of flames, but heard nothing except the rumble of the engines. Shoving the thoughts of a horrible death to the back of his mind, the young man knelt down and crawled down the tunnel, the smell growing stronger the father he went.

After a few minutes of crawling, during which he banged his knees several times, Nick saw light shining up from the floor. Approaching cautiously, he saw that it was air vent that came up from the room below. Peering through it, he saw that he was above the bridge, and that someone wearing a uniform stood directly below the grate.

"Stop it! Your violating the Nebula Agreement by being here!" a voice cried, and Nick realized with a start that the Doctor was down there. Leaning forward, he tried to catch sight of the Time Lord, but saw nothing except tiled floor. Sighing with frustration, the young man glared at the metal grate and listened to the argument now raging beneath him.

"So what if I did?" sneered the female voice Nick had heard earlier. "You certainly can't do anything about it, Time Lord. Article 50, Section F of the Shadow Proclamation prohibits your kind from meddling in affairs other than your own. By interfering, your also breaking the law, aren't you?"

"You're right…except that I'm no longer acknowledged by the High Council on Gallifrey. I'm in exile, and that means I don't have to abide by anything the Time Lords sign. Including the Shadow Proclamation." the Doctor replied, sounding defiant. Hidden in the ventilation system, Nick frowned. Where the Time Lords of this universe different that the ones that inhabited the one his mother and sister came from? It would make sense, but that also meant that this Doctor was different from the one Rose had known. Had he made a mistake in trying to help him?

Now doubting his earlier decisions, Nick wondered if he should leave. But he classmates would still be dead…and he had sworn to avenge them. Rubbing his temples, he froze as the woman spoke. "Hah, but what are you going to do now, Time Lord? You're captured, and once we find that ape companion of yours, we'll be free to continue on with our plans." Eyes widening, Nick drew back from the grate. They knew about him! Granted, he wasn't actually with the Doctor, but the woman down there knew he was roaming around.

Swallowing hard, Nick listened to the Doctor sigh, then mutter, "Alright, you got me. Just…don't hurt him. He's just a kid."

"Fair enough. It's too much of a hassle to dispose of another body. You! Take him to the cargo hold! We'll hold him there while we look for the last human." Peering down, he saw the person below him walk forwards, then pass by, a firm grip on the Doctor's arm. The Time Lord's hands were cuffed in front of him, and he was staring at the floor.

Nick sat back, thinking hard. It seemed he still needed the Doctor…A flash of inspiration suddenly hit him. The cargo hold would have to have vents, and since he was already in the vent system, the tunnels would probably lead straight to it! Crawling forward again, Nick turned right and followed the new tunnel, glancing down at the grates every time he passed one. There! The Doctor and his guard were standing before a door, the guard punching in the access code. Nick waited until they had stepped through the door before following them, trying not to make too much noise as he crawled through the metal shaft. Finally, after a few more turns and another set of locked doors, the Doctor was thrust into a room and the cuffs removed.

The young man tracked the Time Lord as he wandered over to the wall and sat down, positioning himself above the grate that was nearly directly above the man. "Hey." he called softly, and smiled as the Doctor's head jerked up at the sound of his voice.

"Look up." he ordered, and saw the Time Lord respond, eyes scanning the ceiling above him. His gaze landed on the grate, and the man smiled and nodded. "Figure I could fit in there?" the Doctor asked, standing up and looking around. Deciding to not ask what he was doing, Nick sat back and measured the space with his eyes.

"It'll be a tight squeeze, but you should be able to." he responded, peering down and seeing that the Doctor had gathered several boxes and was arranging them beneath the air vent.

"Fantastic. Give me a sec and I'll be up there." Nick nodded and moved backwards to give the man more room. A minute passed, then a faint buzzing sound came from the other side of the grate. Ah, so he still had the sonic screwdriver. The young man smiled, recalling the numerous stories Rose had told him about the small device.

The grate was quickly taken off and passed to Nick along with the screws that had secured it. A second later, the Doctor was hoisting himself up through the narrow hole. Grimacing, he moved to the other side of the opening, and smiled at Nick. Returning the smile, he gave the grate and screws back, and watched with interest as the Doctor secured the vent.

"There, that should hold for a while." the Time Lord announced, placing the sonic screwdriver in a pocket on the inside of his leather jacket. "Yep." Nick agreed, happy that he had been able to be useful for a change. Seeing that the Doctor was looking at him, he asked sharply, "What?"

"You don't strike me as being a helpful person, that's all." the other man replied casually. Eyes narrowing, Nick shot back, "Why's that now?"

"Let's see…short dirty blonde hair, light brown eyes, slim build, private school uniform…you look more like a rich pretty boy who doesn't care about the world rather than a person who would help someone in need." the Doctor said levelly, blue eyes fixed on Nick's face.

Nick blinked, not sure if he was being insulted or not. What the Doctor had just said was partially true - he normally didn't concern himself with other people. "I'm not a…a…!" he hissed, blushing. At his school, being a 'pretty boy' meant that you didn't like girls, and Nick was certain that he wasn't like _that_. He had had crushes before!

Smirking slightly at his red face, the Doctor just chuckled, but didn't press further. Instead, he asked, "So what are you going to do now?" Still fuming over the earlier remark, it took him a few seconds to catch on. Staring at the Time Lord in surprise, he asked a question of his own.

"You don't have a plan?"

"Nope. I had one, but as you can see, it didn't work out. All I know is that the people who captured me killed off your class, and have probably killed the rest of the passengers by now too. I was hoping you might have something."

"Oh…er…" Nick trailed off. He had been expecting the Doctor to come up with a great plan, one that would take care of the murderers. But this…this was different. _He_ had to come up with a brilliant plan now.

"How 'bout we blow up the zeppelin?" he suggested, feeling guilty at the sense of glee that coursed through him at the thought.

"The engine room is heavily guarded. Even if we went through the vents, we'd never be able to do enough damage to bring the ship down." The Doctor replied. Rolling his eyes, Nick shook his head.

"There is another way besides that…course, it'd be difficult, but if a big enough rip was torn in the balloon, it would deflate and the ship would crash." A.k.a., his worse nightmare. Nick felt sick just thinking of the long fall the ship would do before it finally crashed. And there was no guarantee that everyone would be killed, either.

"Hm…" the Doctor frowned, and Nick let him think. Anything would be better than his plan. "What makes the balloon float?" the other man asked suddenly.

"Um…a mixture of helium and pure oxygen." he answered, remembering the information from his lectures. "I think there is more helium than oxygen, though." Nick added, catching on to the Doctor's plan.

"You're gonna blow up the balloon part by setting a fire, right? Both gases are highly combustible, and even a small spark would cause it to blow." The Doctor stared at him, then grinned.

"Not bad for a rich kid. Yep, that's what I'm going to do. What's your name?"

"Nick Tyler."

"Right then Nick, I'll be needing you to help me in this. Now, do you remember how to get to the bridge from here?"

"Sure do. Follow me." Turning himself around in the cramped vent shaft, Nick started to retrace his steps, sensing that the Time Lord was close behind.

"So, do you have a name, or are you just 'Time Lord'?" he asked over his shoulder, turning left and ducking under a loose mass of wires.

"I'm the Doctor." the other replied, grunting as he banged into something.

"Kay…What are you gonna do once we reach the bridge?"

"Simple. Start a fire. I'll access the blueprint for the zeppelin, figure out the least-guarded place, then command the computer to malfunction and start an electrical fire. Easy as pie."

"What about the other guards? Won't they be on the bridge?"

"Nope. This thing's on auto-pilot, and their commander is based on the passenger level. It'll be deserted." the Doctor answered, just as Nick reached the grate above the bridge.

Leaning over, he carefully scanned as much as the room as he could see, but saw no one. Still thinking that this was far too easy, Nick moved to the other side of the vent and wiggled around to face the Doctor. The Time Lord had already set to work loosening the screws, and after a few seconds, he gave it a light tap. The grate dropped out and fell to the floor with a clang, making Nick wince.

Flashing a grin at him, the Doctor shifted so that he feet dangled through the hole, then quickly dropped to the floor. Peering after him, the young man saw the Time Lord beckon for him to follow. Trying not to think of how far he was going to drop and hoping he wouldn't break anything, Nick mimicked the Doctor's motions and landed on the tilted floor with a gasp.

Straightening up shakily, Nick turned around and froze in horror. The front half of the bridge had been converted into one big monitor, made up of groups of smaller computer screens. Normally, he would have marvelled at the technology, except that all of the screens were showing the sky around the ship. It was like he was looking through a huge window, and he was able to see just how high up the zeppelin really was. Brown eyes wide, he guessed that they were about a mile up, possibly more. The more he looked, the more Nick saw that his vision was beginning to narrow, and he knew that he was on the verge of passing out.

"Nick…Nick Tyler!" Blinking, he tore his gaze away from the awful sight and focused dazedly on the Doctor. The man was standing by a console, obviously having just completed his task of ordering the computer to start a fire. Seeing that he looked concerned, Nick gave him a hesitant smile and walked over, sensing that he probably looked horrible.

"Need me?" he asked casually, ignoring the Time Lord's questioning gaze. He wasn't about to admit that he didn't like heights, especially to the man in front of him.

"Yeah. Alarms should be going off any second now, so let's go." the Doctor replied, tapping the screen one last time before moving towards the door. Glad to be off the bridge, Nick eagerly followed.

Just as the Doctor had predicted, alarms starting ringing almost immediately. Breaking into a jog, the Time Lord quickly navigated the maze of tunnels, glancing back every so often to make sure Nick was keeping up. Puffing, Nick rounded a final corner and stopped in amazement. There, sitting in a dark corner, was the fabled time machine.

"Wow…" he breathed, excited to see that the Doctor's ship was still in the form of a police box in this universe.

"C'mon, time to go." Smiling, Nick followed the Time Lord into the TARDIS, and looked around, noting that the interior was much larger than the exterior. Of course, Rose had mentioned that many times, but Nick had never quite grasped the magnitude of it until now. Taking a few cautious steps forward, the young man finished examining the room and met the Doctor's gaze.

The Time Lord stood near the console that made time travel possible, arms crossed and a serious look on his face. Raising an eyebrow, Nick waited, but the other man didn't say anything, just gave him a penetrating stare.

"What is it?" he finally asked, uncomfortable under his intense gaze. "You don't seem shocked by this. Why?" the Doctor asked calmly, but Nick detected a trace of suspicion behind the words. Shifting uneasily, he wondered how he was going to explain things. Rose had told him everything, but this Doctor had never met his sister…he didn't even knew she existed. Deciding to tell the truth, Nick glanced at the floor and quickly organized his thoughts.

Meeting the Doctor's blue eyes with his brown ones, Nick spoke. "Listen, I know this is going to sound really weird, but it's true. My Mum and sister are both from an alternate universe, having crossed the Void to get here when they were younger. In their original universe, my sister met an alternate form of you and travelled with him for quite a while. Growing up, I used to listen to the all stories she told me about her adventures with the Doctor. That's why I wasn't surprised by the TARDIS." Pausing for a moment, Nick saw that the Doctor was listening intently, so he continued.

"There are differences between you and the Doctor my sister travelled with. Big ones, from the little I heard. So while I know all about him, I don't know anything about you. For all I know, you could be a completely different Doctor." Finished, Nick dropped his gaze to the floor and hoped he had done the right thing.

"That explains a lot." the Doctor muttered, and Nick looked up to see that he was smiling slightly. "You're…not mad?" he ventured, his question making the Time Lord chuckle.

"Why would I be?" the other man asked curiously.

"'Cause you don't get to boost your ego by explaining everything to me." Nick responded with a grin. The Doctor snorted, but also grinned. "Fine then, no, I'm not mad."

"That's good. From what I hear, you get scary when your mad."

"Yep." the Time Lord said, but was cut off from saying anything more when the TARDIS shook violently. Hurrying over to the monitor mounted on the console, he glanced at it and grinned.

"We better get moving. Hold on!" Nick obeyed, tightly gripping the handrail and bracing his body while the Doctor rushed around, pressing various buttons and pulling levers. The TARDIS shook again, and Nick felt the floor tip hard to the left. He held on as the time machine rattled around for a few seconds, then landed with a hard bump and stopped shaking.

Unclenching his hands from the metal handrail, Nick took a deep breath, still recovering from the quick but rough flight.

"Your sister tell you about that?" the Doctor asked, trotting past him and peering out the door.

"Yeah…but nothing beats the real thing." he replied, following the Time Lord out into the bright sunlight. He grinned a second later, relieved to be back on _terra firma_. Kneeling down, he picked a flower off a bush and sniffed it appreciatively, admiring it before looking around for the other man. The Doctor had climbed to the top of a small hill and was gazing southwards, shading his eyes against the mid-day sun.

"Look over there." Joining him, Nick directed his gaze to where the man pointed, squinting to make out anything the blue sky. Seconds later, a small flash of orange appeared, flickered for a moment, then went out. Sighing, he dropped his eyes, torn between happiness at the destruction of the zeppelin and worry about what the people had been planning. He had never found out how or why his classmates had died, but he suspected their bodies had been burned in some fashion. That would be why he had smelled smoke in the ventilation system.

"What now?" Nick asked, looking down at the flower in his hand. He then smiled, recognizing that he held a wild red rose. The Doctor was silent for a moment, and the young man glanced at him, wondering what was going through his mind.

"Do you want to come with me?" the soft question made Nick freeze. He had always daydreamed about travelling with the Doctor, and the thought had crossed his mind a few times since he had first met the Time Lord. Even, then he had never really considered his answer, believing that he wasn't good enough to become a companion.

"You…you really want me to come with you?" he asked, still stunned by the offer.

"Yeah. Most people would have never thought of blowing up the zeppelin that way. Or rescued a complete stranger." the Doctor answered, turning to face him.

"Er, your not exactly a stranger…" Nick muttered. This could be his big chance, a way to prove to his family that he was important too. But his Mum was getting old, and he didn't know how she would handle him just suddenly disappearing. Closing his eyes, Nick thought for a moment, then nodded.

"I'll come. But, I want to go home first and tell Mum." he said firmly, meeting the Doctor's gaze.

"Fair enough." the Time Lord replied, smiling down at him. "What's your address?"

- - -

"Mum! Hey, Mum!" Nick called, wondering if she had gone out for lunch.

"Nick! I just heard the news! Oh honey, I though you were dead!" Turning, he saw his emotional mother come rushing down the staircase, pulling him into a tight hug. Smiling, Nick rubbed her back while she cried, then wiggled free once the waterworks had died down. Sniffling, she wiped the tears from her face and gave him a big kiss on the cheek.

"It's alright, Mum…I'm fine. Really…" he protested as the woman started to examine him for injuries.

"Your clothes are filthy! Why, I thought zeppelin factories had high cleanliness standards! The manager of that factory is going to hear about this…I'll tell your father to speak with him. But what are you doing home at this hour? If you weren't at the factory, then shouldn't you be in school?" The smile that had appeared when she had started ranting vanished.

"About that…" he hesitated, then ploughed ahead. "I met the Doctor, and I'm going to go with him, Mum."

"Oh…" his mother whispered, obviously stunned by the news. Giving him a watery smile, she added, "Your just like your sister; you never could refuse a chance to skip school." Squeezing his shoulder, his mother nodded. "Go change and pack a bag. I'll think up a cover story."

Nick smiled, relieved that she had accepted his decision. Holding up his hand, he gave her the rose he had picked, seeing her smile in thanks. Turning, he then raced up the stairs, mentally picking out what he was going to take.

Ten minutes later he trotted back down, a small pack slung over his shoulder. He was now dressed in a set of old jeans, a black T-shirt with a tan jacket over top, and a pair of dark red shoes. He gave his Mum a tight hug and a kiss, whispering, "I love you." Jackie Tyler placed a hand on his cheek and nodded. "I love you too Nikki. Please, try to stay safe. I know it'll be difficult, but promise me you'll try?"

"Of course." he promised, giving her a final hug before turning and walking out the front door.

Sitting in a far corner of the courtyard was the TARDIS, with the Doctor leaning against the side of it. Seeing Nick approach, he grinned and went inside, probably to plot their course. Turning around, he took one last look at his home before pushing open the door and stepping inside.

- - -

In an effort to come up with a name for this chapter, I remembered a line I had read once. The full line is "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" spoken by Juliet from Shakespeare's play _Romeo and Juliet_.


	2. Bread and Circuses

**Notes**: This is Part One of a two-part story. Sorry to those who have been waiting for it; school got in the way of my writing, so I had to delay working on this chapter. But now that I'm on Christmas break, I will have more time to write, and should have Part Two up shortly.

Bread and Circuses

Nick blinked as he stepped inside the time machine, giving his eyes a moment to adjust to the dimmer light. Tossing his bag a few feet away, he moved to stand next to the Doctor. The Time Lord was peering intently at the monitor, and Nick leaned in to get a better look.

"Cindy, could you tell our viewers more about this breaking story?" the man on the screen asked, and the young man realized that they were watching the BBC News channel.

"Well Ted, it seems that one of Lupus Corporation's zeppelins was hijacked around 10 o'clock this morning by an unknown person or persons. As you know, the company was launching it's new model of airships today, and to celebrate the occasion, they took a group of passengers on a short trip. Although the details are unclear as to who exactly was on board, it seems that a class of students from Augustine's Private School may have been on the zeppelin. The police aren't saying anything else, but we do know that the ship exploded just before noon today."

"Any reports of casualties?"

"No, nothing has been released yet, but early reports indicate that there were no survivors, Ted."

"Thank you Cindy. We'll be coming back to you as more details emerge. In other news, Torchwood has announced-" The monitor suddenly went black as the Doctor tapped a button. Frowning, he sighed, then looked at Nick.

"Enough of that. So, where do you want to go?" he asked, straightening up and crossing his arms. Raising an eyebrow at the abrupt chance of pace, Nick hesitated and thought for a moment. The possibilities were endless, but he wasn't quite ready to meet aliens just yet. Sure, he did want to find out who else shared the universe with humans, but he wanted to get accustomed to travelling with the Doctor first. Remembering something that his sister had mentioned once, he smiled.

"Doctor, is there a rebirth of the Roman Empire in the future?" he asked, watching the man's eyes widen slightly in surprise.

"Yeah, it comes back about 10,000 years from now. Gonna follow in your sister's footsteps?" Chuckling, Nick shook his head.

"No. Rose never went there; she just remembers her Doctor mentioning it when they first met. So I wanted to go instead."

"Ah. Sure we can go there. Been meaning to visit an old friend of mine anyway, and I think he currently inhabits that time." Nodding almost to himself, the Doctor turned around and started to power up the TARDIS. Nick smiled and quickly grabbed onto the console as the time machine started to chug and whirr. His was going on his first adventure with the Doctor…

A minute later, he followed the Time Lord out the door of the TARDIS, shading his eyes from the bright sunlight. They were standing in a back alley of some sort, with tall stone buildings on either side. Judging from the angle of the sun and the tone of the light, Nick figured they had landed just before evening. He wouldn't have cared if they had landed at midnight, just the fact that he was really in the future was amazing.

"Ready?" Turning, the young man looked at the Doctor and nodded. Yes, he was definitely ready to go explore. Grinning at his expression, the man set off towards the street, Nick right beside him.

- - -

"Thief! Thief! Stop him!" the shouts of the angry vendor rang in Calchas' ears as he raced away from the open market. Tucked under his arm was a melon, and the reason why he was getting yelled at. But that was just part of being a thief, and the young boy had gotten used to it long ago. Panting, he slowed down and looked around, not seeing the upset merchant behind him. Chuckling, Calchas eyed his stolen dinner with glee, happy that he would have something in his stomach tonight.

"There!" Whirling around, he saw that one of the Roman legionaries that patrolled the streets was quickly dashing towards him, eager to catch the young thief. And since the legionaries always roamed in pairs, Calchas figured his partner was somewhere nearby. Cursing softly, he started to run once more, slipping down a side alley and under one of the arches that acted as dividers between the different sections of the city.

Hearing the pounding footsteps of the Roman soldier behind him, Calchas decided to get serious. Obviously the legionaries had nothing better to do than chase petty thieves, so the young boy decided to give them the slip. Dashing up a flight of steps, he rounded a corner and smiled. Parked in front of him was a transport sledge, and the robot that manned it was nowhere in sight. Perfect.

Looking around, he quickly climbed onto the sledge and crouched down between the crates. Seconds later, he heard the solider run up the steps and enter the small square where the sledge was parked. Not daring to move, Calchas waited as the man circled the small platform, obviously knowing that he was hiding on it. But Roman law said that a legionary couldn't search private property without the authorization of the owner, and that also included any vehicles that the person owned. So he was perfectly safe.

"May I help you, legionary?" the artificial voice of the robot made the boy gasp, but the soldier that had pursued him merely replied, "No, I was just on patrol and thought I heard something up here. Continue on."

"Certainly, legionary. Long live Arcadius!"

"Long live Arcadius!" the legionary answered. The boy heard the clink of the metal boots as the man moved away, and he breathed a sigh of relief. A minute later, the transport sledge lurched slightly as the engines were started, then slowly lifted up into the sky. Settling back against a crate, Calchas smiled and pulled out a small knife. Time for dinner.

- - -

"So, what city are we in?" Nick asked as he and the Doctor strolled down the street. They were passing through a small outdoor market, and the young man breathed in the aroma of what the vendors were selling.

"This is Rome. We're currently standing in the most powerful city on Earth." the Time Lord said with a smile, looking excited at the prospect. "This section was probably one of the smaller cities that got absorbed into Rome when the city started expanding in 12005. Rome as you know is about 30 kilometres away." he continued, waving a hand off to the left.

"Can we go visit it?" Nick asked. He had taken a course on the ancient Roman Empire in school, but had only seen pictures of the city.

"Maybe. Still, we can get a view of the city from here -- Oi, watch it!" the Doctor yelped as a young boy pushed him aside, running at full speed in the opposite direction. Moments later, an upset vendor jogged up to them, panting.

"Which way did that little worm go?! I'll show him why stealing is illegal!" the woman snarled, face red.

"Er…that way, ma'am." Nick replied, pointing. The vendor looked like she was about to start off again, but then sighed and shook her head. "Aw, never mind. He's long gone. Thanks anyway."

"No problem."

The woman turned and smiled at him, offering her hand. "I'm Malinda. Who might you be?" Malinda had dark red hair and brown eyes, and looked to be in her mid-thirties.

"I'm Nick, and this is the Doctor." the young man answered, shaking her hand and gesturing towards the Time Lord beside him. The Doctor, who still looked slightly upset about being bumped, flashed a smile and nodded.

"Nice to meet you both. You two travellers?" Turning, she started to walk back towards her stand, and Nick fell in step beside her.

"Yes, I suppose you could call us that. Why?"

"Oh, it's not often I hear a British accent in Rome. Besides, you're clothes look a like something someone from that part of the Empire would wear." Malinda added with a laugh. Raising an eyebrow, he glanced at the Doctor, who merely shrugged.

"Hey, it's a style." Nick answered with a smile. He stopped as they reached a large melon stand, manned by a old woman sitting on a stool. The old lady gave Nick and the Doctor a curious glance, then glared at Malinda.

"You didn't catch him, did you? That's the third time this week! You know how much stealing costs us. What am I going to say to Senator Polovini?" she growled, voice squeaking in anger.

"Tell him I'll pay for the melon, Mama." the woman replied, sounding exasperated. Pursing her lips, Malinda's mother finally nodded, then turned her attention towards Nick.

"And what's this? Bringing home riff-raff again? They just keep getting younger. But wait…him too? What, one isn't enough? How am I supposed to lodge these people?!" Mama said with a groan, throwing her hands up into the air. Gritting his teeth at the 'riff-raff' comment, Nick was about to say that they had no intention of spending the night when the Doctor spoke up.

"I'm sure Senator Polovini will be happy to take us. I'm an old friend of his." the man said, idly tossing a small melon up and down in the air. Nick suspected that the Doctor had been playing with the melon since they had arrived, but since his back had been turned, he couldn't tell.

"Put that down, unless you're paying for it! The produce gets handled enough without _your_ grubby hands all over it!" the old lady snapped furiously. Looking surprised, the Doctor dug in a pocket and pulled out a small translucent stick. Handing it over with a smile, he waited while Mama swiped it through a small machine and thrust it back before starting to toss the melon again.

Muttering under he breath, Malinda's mother hopped down from her seat and pushed her daughter into it. "You can take the night shift. I'll take these…guests…to the Senator's place."

"Alright, Mama." the woman replied, rolling her eyes at Nick. Smiling back, he leaned in a muttered, "I don't know how you stand her. I hope you have fun selling melons." Chucking, Melinda waved him off, then turned to deal with a customer.

"Hurry up, riff-raff, or you can walk!" Jumping, the young man spotted the Doctor and Mama down the street, and he quickly jogged to join them. Frowning and sniffing, the old lady turned and tottered into a back alley and stopped in front of a small machine. The front was obviously for people, with two seats and everything that was needed to drive the contraption. But the back section was flat, with no sides and several small bars poking up through the floor.

"Right, you two in the back. I'll try not to take any tight turns." Eyes widening, Nick slowly followed the Doctor as he climbed onto the flat part, keeping as far as possible from the sides. He stiffened as a whirring sound filled the air, and the entire thing rocked slightly. The young man froze as the machine slowly rose into the air, gaining height until they were well above even the tallest building. And since the tallest buildings were ten stories tall, Nick was a lot higher than he wanted to be.

The machine suddenly lurched forward, and only a quick grab by the Doctor saved Nick from tumbling off the back. Gripping the only thing he could find, which was one of the small metal bars that protruded through the floor, he muttered a thanks, staring at the floor.

"Think you can look up for a minute?" the Doctor asked calmly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Possibly…it depends what I'm about the look at." he replied stiffly, dreading what he was going to see.

"You'll see the apex of the New Roman Empire, and the mighty heart of Rome itself." the Time Lord said softly, sounding awe-struck. Taking a deep breath, Nick raised his eyes and stared.

Despite the height they were at, despite he terror, despite being insulted by a cranky old crone, what he saw was pure beauty. Rome loomed in the distance, the setting sun glinted off the thousands of windows, setting an entire section ablaze in red. Multi-coloured lights flashed, lighting up the evening sky in a rainbow of hues. The buildings came in every shape and size. Square and rectangular towers dotted the skyline, with domes and triangular structures interspersed between them. On the left sat a giant circular building, and Nick realized that he was looking at a new and much bigger Coliseum. In the centre of the city sat a huge tower, so large that it made everything around it look small.

"What's that in the middle?" he asked, looking at it in amazement.

"That's the Tower of the Brothers, where the Senate and Emperor meet to discuss the business of the Empire. The Tower was started in 12025, and was completed in 12028. Although you can't see it from here, there are two statues on top, representing the mythical brothers Romulus and Remus, who supposedly founded Rome."

Nick gulped as the machine made a hard left bank, and quickly asked, "What _are_ we riding in?"

"This is a transport sledge. Model Hec-34, I think." the Doctor replied, rolling the melon around in his hands.

"Great. I'm sitting in a futuristic lorry…" he muttered, raising his brown eyes to once again marvel at the city.

Several rather nerve-racking minutes later, the transport sledge landed with a hard jerk in front of what seemed to be a small castle. Scrambling off, Nick stepped to the side to avoid bumping into Mama, who was standing in front of the Doctor, palm out.

"You owe me 60 creds for that ride."

"But that's more than a heli-taxi!" the man protested, looking shocked.

"It'll be a 100 if you don't cough it up!"

"C'mon, can't we just-"

"NOW, you blathering idiot!" Sighing, the Doctor scowled and pulled out the translucent stick. Grabbing it, the old lady swiped it, and handing it back.

"Right, now go away. As for you," she growled, turning towards Nick, "stay far away from my daughter, you British puppy! She doesn't need to be around provincial people like you." Glaring at him for a few seconds, Mama turned and hopped back into the driver's seat of the sledge, taking off with a whine of the engines.

"P-provincial? I'm not…that…she's…!" Stammering with rage, Nick scowled after the sledge, wanting nothing more than to give the old lady a hard whack over the head.

"Calm down, that's just how she is. C'mon, we're keeping the Senator waiting." the Doctor said, placing a hand on his shoulder. Frowning angrily, Nick nodded and followed the Time Lord up the marble steps to the large wooden front door.

The door was opened almost instantly by a robust man wearing a white sweater and black jeans. With bushy brown hair and light blue eyes, he looked the exact opposite of the Senators Nick had learned about in history class. Arms thrown wide, he grinned and cried, "Doctor! What a surprise! I didn't realize you were in the city. Please, please, come in!" Smiling in return, the Doctor stepped through the door, the young man right behind him.

"Hello Senator. Decided to stop by for a visit, and one of your vendors gave us a ride. How are things?" the Time Lord asked as they walked through the foyer and down a hall. Nick looked around, impressed at the elegance of the place. Although silver and gold objects were everywhere, the woven tapestries and statues helped to make them look like they belonged in the home, not just there for display purposes.

"Oh, things are going well, all things considered. France is complaining again about the lack of money they have for their space program, but the Emperor is more concerned with protecting Rome's investments on the seabed to pay them much mind. Who's your friend?" the Senator asked, giving Nick a friendly smile.

"This is Nick Tyler. Nick, this is Senator Polovini. He's the one in charge of representing Russia, although it's now the New Russian Federation. Several new countries split off in 6,866, and it was re-named in 10,089." The Doctor explained quickly.

"Pleased to meet you, sir." Nick replied with a smile, shaking the hand the man offered.

"Same to you! Ah, it's been a while since I've heard such a rich British accent…may I ask what time period you are from?" he asked, blue eyes fixed on Nick. With a glance at the Doctor, who nodded, the young man answered, "I'm from the early-21st century, Senator."

"That explains it…well, I hope you enjoy your time in the future, Nick. If you need anything, just ask one of my staff. Now, if you'll excuse us, I have some matters to discuss with the Doctor."

"Of course. I'll see you later, then?" Nick asked, turning to the Doctor.

"Yep. Our rooms are somewhere upstairs. Look around the property all you want, just don't leave it. I don't need you wandering off!" the man said sternly, tossing the melon he bought at him. catching it, the young man watched as the Doctor turned and followed the Senator around a corner and out of sight.

Gazing down at the melon, he wondered what he was supposed to do with it. Nick wasn't about to eat it, and so decided to let the Time Lord deal with the fruit later. Looking around, he re-traced his steps back to the foyer and after asking a maid for directions, arrived at his assigned room on the third floor. Eyeing the large bed with pleasure, Nick set the melon down on a side table and flopped down on the bed. Slipping off his shoes, he closed his eyes and sighed, determined to relax for an hour or so. After the hair-raising ride and the rude old lady, he needed a rest.

- - -

"Let me go!" Calchas cried, but the two legionaries that gripped his arms ignored the struggling boy. They marched him down yet another a stone corridor, past the rows of dark red doors. He knew that he was about to end up on the opposite side of one very shortly, and he knew the reason why. The trio stopped abruptly half-way down the hall, and one of the Roman soldiers raised his right wrist to a small panel set into the wall beside the door. A beam of red light shot out of it and traced the tattoo on the man's hand, and the door slid open with a soft hiss.

Calchas was shoved inside the cell and turned around in time to see the door close again, locking him inside. Green eyes scanned the room, noting the empty pallets on opposite walls. The cell obviously was designed to hold two people, but he was currently alone. He gaze then moved to examine the light grey walls of the prison, but aside from several small glow globes that provided light hovering in the corners, there were no decorations. The floor was a deep navy hue, but was also bare.

Turning around to face the door again, the boy saw two small circles set into the wall to the right and left of the door. Wondering what it was for, he cautiously reached out and tapped it, and started as a small click came from the ceiling. Looking up, he saw a semi-transparent screen descend from the ceiling, effectively cutting the room in half. The door to the cell was in the centre of the wall, and the screen stopped about a foot away from it, so either prisoner could access the button without having to cross to the other prisoner's 'side' of the cell. Satisfied, Calchas raised the screen and sat down on the bed that was on the left side of the room.

Drawing his knees up to his chest, he sighed, wondering what was going to happen now. The young boy had been arrested and brought to the prison in the heart of Old Rome, shortly after the transport sledge had landed. Roman legionaries had appeared just as the robotic driver had started to unload the cargo, saying that they had permission by a Senator Hastings to search the sledge. Trapped, Calchas had attempted to flee, but had quickly been captured by a soldier, who had then stuffed him in the back of a heli-cruiser and taken him to Pier 6, the jail where petty criminals were held.

Calchas rubbed his temples, feeling the onset of one of his headaches. Frowning, he tried to will it away, but the pain merely increased. Now was a very bad time to have a headache…weird things happened to him whenever he had one. Running a head through his light brown hair in frustration, he flopped backwards and rolled onto his side. Closing his eyes, he was about to drift off when he heard the door hiss open.

Sitting up, Calchas eyed the doorway with interest. He knew from being in here before that dinner wasn't served until later in the evening, so what was going on?

"Wait! You're making a mistake! I'm not supposed to be here!" a male voice cried, sounding furious. Eyes wide at the strange accent, Calchas watched as an older teen was shoved into the cell, but quickly caught his balance and pounded on the closed door.

"Let me out! I'm no criminal!" the older male hollered, but to no effect. He was dressed in a style that Calchas had never seen before, wearing a black short-sleeved jerkin and faded blue leggings. Competing the strange outfit was a pair of red lace-up boots. Staring at the strange footwear, he didn't even notice his new cell-mate turn around and realize he was there.

"Got a problem with my shoes, kid?" _Shoes_? So that's what they were called. Not having seen shoes before, Calchas could only assume the older teen came from a distant part of the Empire, where clothing was different.

"Er…no, not at all, _socius. _I've just never seen that type of footwear before." Calchas replied meeting the older boy's gaze. Looking slightly confused at his response, the teen shuffled over and sat down beside him. After a moment of silence, he asked, "What's socius mean?"

Astonished that he didn't even know Latin, Calchas, gaped at him for a moment, then replied, "It means 'partner'. We're both criminals, so I decided to use that honorific."

"Oh. So, what's your name?" the older boy asked, light brown eyes examining him closely.

"My name is Calchas. And yours?" he asked politely, giving his cell-mate a smile.

"I'm Nick. Nice to meet you, Calchas." the other male replied, returning the smile.

"Same to you, Nick-socius." Smiling at the use of the honorific, Nick gestured towards the door and asked, "Why are you in here?"

"I was caught for stealing." Calchas admitted with a frown. "But this is my second time in here, so I won't be getting off so lightly as I did before. Besides…the Senator in charge of Rome's prisons is rumoured to be very strict when it comes to sentencing. What about you?"

The older boy was silent for a moment, then shrugged. "I…I don't really know. I was out for a walk in what I thought was a public place, then a bunch of armoured men surrounded me and charged me with trespassing. But I do know that I have to let the Doctor know that I'm in here. He's probably noticed I'm gone, and is no doubt worrying." Calchas eyed him with pity. Accidentally breaking the law was common to those not familiar with Rome, and he could tell that Nick knew nothing about Roman law.

"Did the legionaries say the name of the person who owned the property, Nick-socius?" he inquired kindly. Depending on where he was arrested, Nick faced a variety of punishments.

"Yeah, someone called Senator Hastings. Do you know the name?" The boy's jaw dropped in horror. After a moment of stunned silence, he managed to stammer, "Y-yes…Senator Hastings not only owned the transport sledge I was captured on, but he's also the person in charge of Rome's prisons…This won't be good."

"You're right, that can't be good." Nick replied weakly, having gone slightly pale at Calchas' explanation. Swallowing hard, the older male asked, "Is there any way for me to contact someone outside of the prison?"

"Only with the permission of the Senator in charge."

"I don't think he'll be granting any tonight." Nick muttered glumly.

"You're probably right."

Calchas watched as Nick slowly got up and shuffled over to the unoccupied bed on opposite side of room, flopping backwards onto it with a sigh. The thief could understand his response; he had felt an overwhelming despair when he had been arrested the first time. He was still curious about the strange accent Nick had, but decided that his question could wait until later. Shifting, he also stretched out on his bed, hands folded behind his head, eyes focused on the light blue ceiling.

- - -

"Senator!" The Doctor cried, rushing into the elegant study where the New Russian Federation delegate sat, immersed in a small holographic screen that was being projected out of a small sphere the man held. Looking up in surprise, the Senator saw the look on the Time Lord's face and quickly shut the screen off.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Nick. He's not in his room, and the butler said he left about an hour ago to walk around the property a bit, but no one's seen him since." The Doctor replied, trying to quell the feelings of anger he felt. He had told the young man not to get lost, and he had figured that Nick was smart enough not to disobey him. Frowning, he folded his arms and leaned against a overstuffed chair, anxious for the other man's response.

"Hm…Well, he couldn't have gotten far. There's only so many places on this estate that he could be. However, if he's off my property, that could pose a problem. I'll make some inquiries about him, and see if something comes up." Pausing, he ran a hand through his bushy hair, then added, "I know you're worried, Doctor-amicus, but you'll just have to wait."

Nodding, the Doctor smiled slightly at honorific, knowing that Senator Polovini was reverting to a formal manner of speech in order to keep him calm. Amicus was Latin for 'friend' which is why the man had used that term instead of the more traditional patricius, which loosely translated to 'nobleman'.

"Alright. I'll be in our room if you need me." the Doctor answered, turning and walking out of the study. As he left, he narrowed his blue eyes, wishing that he could go look for his companion. But Rome was huge, and he had no way of tracking Nick. The man knew that the best thing he could do was stay in one place and wait. Sighing, he mounted the stairs to the second floor and entered the room assigned to Nick and himself.

He glanced at the melon he had bought earlier, now sitting on a side table. Picking it up, the Doctor rolled it around in his hands, happy that he had found something to distract him. As long as his mind was occupied with something, it wouldn't think of the…unpleasant…situations that his young companion might encounter. Staring at it, he again noticed the odd colour of the melon. Its skin was slightly darker than it should be, and now that he looked closer, the Time Lord could pick out tiny white dots that covered the melon.

"Those shouldn't be there…" he muttered, digging in the inside pocket of his jacket for his sonic screwdriver. Pulling it out, he carefully examined the fruit he held. He had passed off the colour to genetic engineering, which was now commonly practiced in the farming industry, but the white dots weren't a by-product of a bad gene. Brow furrowed, the Doctor scanned the melon again, not believing the results.

Face mirroring the shock he was feeling, the Time Lord slowly set the melon back on the table and walked over to sit on the bed. "Impossible…that's impossible." he said softly, knowing that Rome, no, the _entire_ Roman Empire was in danger.

- - -

"On your feet." Nick scrambled to his feet, eyes fixed on the man who had just entered the cell and issued the order. Like the men who had arrested him earlier, he was wearing a suit of thick grey armour accented with red, except this man also sported a red cape, and the crest on his helmet was pure white instead of the ordinary dark purple. Engraved on his chest plate was red-and-white tiger, Nick saw that the back of his gloves also bore the same mark.

Nodding curtly, the man stepped aside to allow two legionaries to enter, who went to each male and place thin black cuffs on their wrists. As soon as the soldiers attached them, a white energy beam shot out of the right cuff and into the left one, and Nick felt a mild prickling sensation when he tried to pull his wrists apart. Realizing that they were handcuffs, he stopped resisting and allowed himself to be lead out the door and down the corridor, Calchas right behind him.

The caped man walked in front, followed by a solider, then the two prisoners, with the remaining solder bringing up the rear. Nick wondered what was going on, but decided that now was a really bad time to start asking questions. He had no idea where he was going, and the man at the head of the line didn't look particularly friendly. Brown eyes fixed on the back of the solider in front of him, the young man hoped that he wasn't in too much trouble.

While exploring the grounds of Senator Polovini's home, he had walked through an unlocked gate, assuming that it was owned by the man. But he had barely gone fifty feet before three robots had surrounded him, all carrying a small baton and ordering him to stop. He had obeyed, and the four of them had waited until three soldiers (he now knew that they were called legionaries) had arrived, then he had been whisked away in a flying car to jail. Nick had then been dragged to a cell, and shoved inside.

Hearing a beep, the young man looked up and saw that the caped man was holding up his right wrist to a small panel beside a back door. Another beep sounded, and the door slid upwards, allowing the line of people to enter. Swallowing hard, Nick tried to assume an innocent expression, wishing that he had paid more attention during Drama class at school.

A warm gust of air made ruffled his dirty blonde hair, and his eyes went wide at the sight of a magnificent tree that dominated the large space. The small procession halted, and the three armoured men stepped forwards and saluted.

"Hail the Emperor! Long live Arcadius!" they chanted in unison.

"Long live Arcadius. Legionaries, you are dismissed." a voice said, and Nick realized that there was a man reclining against the trunk of the massive tree. He was also surprised to hear the British accent the man spoke with. The two legionaries saluted again and quickly exited, but the caped man remained.

"I believe that also applies to you, Commander Ricci?" the man inquired softly.

"Yes Senator, but I am obligated to stay and guard these prisoners." the commander replied calmly, although Nick saw him shift slightly.

"I highly doubt a teenager and a young boy will harm me. What are they going to do? Kick me?" the Senator said mockingly, making a shooing motion with one hand. Sighing, Commander Ricci saluted and stormed walked out, cape flapping in his haste.

Nick took the opportunity to look around a bit. They were standing in a large circular room, which was filled with various trees and shrubs. High above, the ceiling was made entirely of glass, and the faint light of the half-moon filtered down through the tree's branches. Since the room was darkened, he couldn't tell what colour the walls were, but suspected that they were a light shade of some sort. Dominating the room was a massive tree, easily towering 80 feet above the floor. Its large leaves moved slightly in a warm breeze that was circulating in the room, casing alternating patches of shadow and moonlight across the space.

"Please, come closer." the man sitting under the tree said, and both Nick and Calchas hesitantly moved forward until they were in the shadow of the leafy canopy. Leaning forward, the Senator regarded them closely, but Nick still couldn't make out his features. Glancing at the young boy beside him, the teen saw that he was staring at the ground, and realized it was probably out of respect. Lowering his gaze to the thin thread of light that connected the cuffs on his hands, Nick wondered why they had be summoned to see the man in front of them.

A light chuckle made him jump, but that just made the Senator laugh harder. Cringing, he waited until the man had calmed down, expecting the worst from the rumoured harsh delegate.

"Ah, scared of me, eh? I don't blame you, given my reputation. The reason I called you away at this time of night was to inform you that you'll both be transferred to the Stables tomorrow morning." A gasp from Calchas made the man pause, but Nick was confused. What were the Stables?

"The legal age for entering the Stables is fourteen, but I've convinced the manager to let a twelve-year-old in. Don't worry…you'll be tending to your cell-mate during your stay." the man said kindly to Calchas, and Nick felt the younger boy next to him relax slightly at this remark.

"Well, I suppose that's everything. You may leave now." Out of the corner of his eye, Nick saw his cell-mate bow, and quickly followed suit, which caused the Senator to chuckle again.

"H-hail the E-emperor!" Calchas said haltingly, but Nick opted to remain silent, not wishing to reveal his British accent. He had now idea how common a British prisoner was in Rome, and didn't want to make his situation any worse that it already was if his fellow countrymen were looked down on.

Turning, he walked out of the plant-filled room, still worried about what was happening to him in the morning. Commander Ricci was waiting, arms folded, outside the door, and he quickly took them back to their cell, where he made the connecting beam of light on the handcuffs vanish with a wave of a small device. The cuffs themselves remained on, so Nick decided to try and ignore the rubbing of metal against his wrists.

Seated once more on his bed, the young man glanced over at Calchas, who looked worried and slightly scared. "Calchas-socius…" he said hesitantly, having decided to use the Latin endings to return the friendship the young boy had shown him. Pausing, he frowned, then continued softly, "what are the Stables?"

Green eyes met brown, and Calchas gave him a weak smile. "The Stables are where the Gladiators are kept, Nick-socius. Tomorrow, you're going to become one."

- - -

If you have any comments or questions, please, don't hesitate to review.


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